impact
The Research Magazine of The Ohio State University College of Public Health

Inside this issue:
• ‘Farm to Table’ program for Veterinary Public Health
students
• Why eligible immigrant children are not in Medicaid
• Food-borne viruses and food safety
• Champions of Public Health

Photo credits:
All photos are credited to University
Photography or college staff except cover
Amish women, Ted Krudsen; p. 2-3, Armando
Hoet; p. 8, O-H-I-O, Allard Dembe; p. 9, Liang
Jinjian; p. 11, Stephani Kim; Paula Song.
Impact Magazine is published annually by
The Ohio State University College of Public
Health for the alumni, faculty, students,
staff and friends of the college. This is the
sixth issue. Copyright 2011. Permission to
reprint any portion must be obtained from

6
Faculty news
9
Student news
10
Champions of Public Health

p.2 ‘Farm to Table’ program
teaches students about fish
processing in Uruguay.

For additional content, scan the QR squares with
your smart phone or navigate to the URLs listed.

the College. Contact: comalley@cph.osu.edu
Please note that the college’s address will
change to Cunz Hall, 1841 Neil Ave, Columbus
OH, 43210 as of September 1, 2011.
On the web at http://cph.osu.edu
“Global Significance. Local Impact.”

Support Public Health
If you support what public health
research can do for Ohio, consider
funding scholarships for our graduate
students or contributing to our
endowments. For more information
on giving to the College, contact our
development office at 614-293-8264.
On the web, go to http://cph.osu.edu/
giving/index.cfm for a complete list
of our endowments.

p.4 Why are so many
immigrant children being left
out of Medicaid?

2010 Faculty Publications
http://go.osu.edu/2010pubs

2010 Faculty Grants and Contracts
http://go.osu.edu/pubhealthgrants

p.8 Amish women are focus of
cancer screening study.

Keeping our
priorities straight

Global Significance. Local Impact.

Dean’s Message

As you may know, “Public Health Impact” focuses on the research taking place in the
College of Public Health at The Ohio State University. Each time we put this together, I
am amazed with the breadth of research taking place in this college. In fact, everything in
this publication aligns well with the five public health priorities for America, as outlined
by our Association of Schools of Public Health. Those priorities are:
• Ensuring every American an opportunity for a healthy life through two interrelated commitments:
1. Providing access to affordable, quality health care.
2. Eliminating health disparities linked to race, ethnicity, socioeconomics and other factors.
• Strengthening the public health infrastructure.
• Increasing investment in efforts to prevent disease, injury, and disability.
• Increasing investment in public health research.
• Strengthening American leadership and investment in global health.
This publication’s content suggests we have our priorities straight when it comes to public health research. The stories in this
magazine cover access to health care via Medicaid, preventing food-borne illnesses, public investments in public health research,
global health, and our Champions of Public Health who work to keep our citizens healthy.
While this publication can’t cover all of the many research activities undertaken by our faculty and students, I encourage you
to visit our web site at http://cph.osu.edu/research/awards to see the full list of research activities.
As many of you know, Cunz Hall is being renovated as the future home of the College of Public Health. We plan to move
into our new digs this fall. I am extremely optimistic about the groundbreaking research that will take place in that building.
I welcome you to visit us this fall.
Sincerely

Stanley Lemeshow , PhD
Dean

1

Impact Research Magazine

Food chain
‘Farm to Table’ program introduces Veterinary Public Health students
to global food systems in South America
By Wendy Pramik
CPH Communications

Farm to Table participants traveled to Uruguay to learn about global
food systems including fish processing.

Beef cattle in Uruguay graze on farmland.

2

Master of Public Health student Rachel Chouinard enjoys
learning about food systems. Within her specialization of
Veterinary Public Health, she studies animals raised for
consumption and the rules and regulations that are in place to
keep Americans healthy and free from harmful chemicals and
food-borne pathogens.
So when the chance arrived for her to learn about how
another country approaches food safety, Chouinard relished
the opportunity.
Chouinard was among 16 participants from the United
States, Central America and South America who attended the
Farm to Table Study Program in Uruguay in October 2010.
For five days, Chouinard observed agricultural practices at a
dozen locations in the small South American country. She saw
how dairy and beef cattle are raised on family farms and how
their milk and meat is processed at production facilities. She
saw how products are packaged for sale in supermarkets. And
she learned about the role the South American government
plays in regulating agriculture practices to ensure food safety
for public health consumption.
“It was awesome to see food safety programs and practices
firsthand instead of just reading about it,” Chouinard said.
The Farm to Table Study annual trip was created in 2009 by
Scott Wells, head of the University of Minnesota’s Veterinary
Public Health program and Armando Hoet, director of Ohio
State’s Veterinary Public Health program, as a way to teach
others about integrated food systems in exporting countries.
The two American universities partnered with the
Universidad de la Republica in Uruguay to establish a meeting
site during the first two editions of the program.
“This interactive and engaging study program provides
participants the opportunity to appreciate the global integration
of food systems,” said Hoet, clinical assistant professor in the
College of Public Health’s Division of Epidemiology and the

Global Significance. Local Impact.

Armando Hoet, director of the Veterinary Health Program, traveled to Uruguay in October 2010 to lead the “Farm to Table Study” program.

College of Veterinary Medicine.
Hoet is from Venezuela and provided Spanish-English
translation during the trip.
“We visited establishments across southern Uruguay, from
an extensive beef cattle operation to a specialty cheese plant
to a highly sophisticated meat-processing plant,” Hoet said.
“We also visited a fish-processing plant, observing firsthand
the processing of blue shark, which are apparently in great
demand worldwide.”
The program is for graduate students as well as food and
health industry professionals and
policymakers interested in food
productions systems, food safety,
and food security. Registration is
limited to 20 participants. The recent
trip united students, professors,
veterinarians, and public health
officials from the United States,
Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, and Costa
Rica.
“The most memorable aspect
of the trip was the people in it,”
Chouinard said. “Being able to
exchange ideas with people of such
diverse backgrounds was an amazing experience.”
Chouinard was joined by three fellow students in the
Veterinary Public Health program: Pouneh Behin, Janet Buffer
and Caitlin Lacey. The students each received scholarships to
attend.
“The trip was a light-bulb moment,” said Buffer, who has a
background in nutrition and food safety. “I realized, ‘This is
what global food is all about.’ Watching food being processed
and prepared to be shipped to a place 3,000 miles away.
Wow!”

The program was led by five instructors including Hoet
and Thomas Wittum, joint professor in the colleges of Public
Health and Veterinary Medicine.
This is the second year the program was held in Uruguay.
The third installment moves to Costa Rica, Oct. 31 to Nov. 4,
2011, where participants will explore beef, dairy, and poultry
farms, as well as visit to largest tilapia processing plant in the
Americas, which exports 80 percent of their production to the
United States.
The program specifically teaches American students and
professionals about the differences
among the food systems in various
countries. Participants take notes of
how animals are treated, how animal
products are handled, and the
possibilities for public and animal
health problems, including safety
concerns and food contamination.
“The majority of beef in Uruguay
is produced from cattle that are
grass- fed on free-range farms,
which is very different from the
– Caitlin Lacey,
United States, where the majority of
VPH student
cattle are grain-fed on concentrated
animal feeding operations,” said Lacey.
Uruguay exports roughly 70 percent of its beef to the U.S.
and Europe.
Participants met with faculty and students from the
veterinary school of the Universidad de la Republica in
Uruguay. Each day’s events were summarized and reflected
upon through group round-table discussions.
For more information about the Farm to Table program,
contact Armando Hoet at (614) 292-0684 or armando.hoet@
cvm.osu.edu.

“The majority of beef in
Uruguay is produced from
cattle that are grass-fed
on free-range farms, which
is very different from the
United States.”

Eric Seiber, assistant professor in the college’s Division
of Health Services Management and Policy, is using his
understanding of Medicaid to determine why so many eligible
immigrant children aren’t being enrolled into the U.S. health
program for people with low incomes and resources.
Between 1990 and 2005, Seiber says, a wave of immigrants
has bucked the historical trend of settling in states along the
American border. Instead, they move directly to interior
states, including Ohio, in search of better job opportunities.
As a result, the immigrant population has doubled in these
non-gateway states.
Seiber is the principal investigator on a three-year project,
funded by the Foundation for Child Development, which
tackles the question: “Is it harder for eligible immigrant
children to enroll in Medicaid in the new immigration
states?”
Under United States law, any person born within the country
is a citizen, regardless of the citizenship status of their parents.
Children born in the U.S. with immigrant parents are eligible
for Medicaid coverage, but many are not being enrolled into
the system, Seiber says.
“This lack of insurance leaves both foreign- and nativeborn immigrant children without adequate access to health
care, jeopardizing their health and life prospects” Seiber said.
State-level information on insurance status and Medicaid
enrollment for children of immigrant families outside the
traditional gateway states is largely non-existent, Seiber
explained.
To uncover the information, Seiber is plowing through
thousands of pages of data from the 2008-2011 Census
Bureau’s American Community Survey. It includes a sampling
of 340,000 immigrant children.
Seiber seeks to identify immigrant children in new states,
to test whether fewer citizen children in immigrant families

4

are enrolled in Medicaid in new immigration states, and to
examine why a low number of citizen immigrant children
enroll in Medicaid.
The study began in the fall of 2010, and Seiber is wrapping
up his first paper. He shared some preliminary information,
such as why he believes just one out of three eligible immigrant
children is insured.
“It’s not easy to enroll in Medicaid no matter who you are,”
Seiber said. “Medicaid faces the requirement of providing
meaningful access, otherwise it’s considered discrimination
under federal civil rights legislation.
“It’s like being a new student at Ohio State who’s trying to
figure out the university system. But imagine if the entire
country is new to you. How do we make the system work for
everyone?”
In March 2011 Seiber gave a presentation in Washington,
D.C., about insuring immigrant children in new destination
states for immigrants, as part of a series presented by the
Department of Health and Human Services. The presentation
was teleconferenced to a wide audience, including government
officials and researchers from the Department of Health and
Human Services.
Seiber was chosen for the research project based on his
substantial knowledge of insurance and familiarity of the
immigrant population.
Seiber has a PhD in Economics from Tulane University
and in his early education attended the Universidad de los
Andes in Bogotá, Colombia. Prior to working at Ohio State,
he researched international health reform in Latin America.
“I want to learn if our system is throwing up hurdles for
immigrants,” Seiber said. “If so, how do we lower the hurdles
to get these eligible kids into the system?
“But first, we need to figure out what are the hurdles and
where are they?”

By Wendy Pramik and Martha Filipic
CPH and FAES Communications
Jianrong Li is a rarity among research scientists.
The assistant professor in the College of Public Health’s
Division of Environmental Health Sciences is one of two food
virologists at Ohio State and one of only a handful of food
virologists specializing in food safety in the United States.
Researching viruses and viral diseases as they relate to food
safety has led Li to tackle a number of innovative projects
since joining the university in 2008 as part of the Ohio
State initiative in Public Health Preparedness for Infectious
Diseases. It’s also led him to develop a new course at Ohio
State called “Food-borne Viruses and Food Safety,” which he
taught for the first time in spring 2011.
“Currently, in standard food microbiology textbooks, there
is little mention of viruses. There is no mention of food safety,”
said Li, who has a joint appointment in the Department of
Food Science and Technology and is a scientist with the
university’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development
Center.
“This project will help us train the next generation of foodsafety professionals.”
Li’s research projects include a four-year, $1 million study
aimed at reducing the incidence of food-borne illness in fresh
produce caused by viruses, a five-year, $5 million study to help
crack the code against a virus responsible for the majority of
acute respiratory infections, and a four-year, $1.2 million
study to discover non-thermal methods to inactivate viruses
in high-risk foods, such as fruits, vegetables and shellfish.
“Viruses, as they relate to food safety, are not well
understood,” said Li, who has a PhD in Molecular Virology
and Immunology from Zhejiang University in China.
“There’s a real gap in the field that we will try to fill with this
research.”
Viruses, including human norovirus, hepatitis A virus

Global Significance. Local Impact.

Food fight

Jianrong Li combats viruses in
fruits, vegetables and shellfish
and rotavirus, account for more than two out of three foodborne illnesses worldwide. Yet most research, and nearly all
education about food-borne illness focus on bacteria, such as
Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria and Campylobacter.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), noroviruses alone cause more than 21 million cases of
acute gastroenteritis and account for more than half all foodborne disease outbreaks. Symptoms include abdominal pain
and severe diarrhea among infants and young children.
According to a CDC compilation of outbreak data in the
U.S. from 1998 to 2006, norovirus has become the top cause
of fresh produce-associated illnesses, accounting for more
than 40 percent of outbreaks.
In his most recent study, Li is testing a number of novel,
non-thermal methods to inactivate food-borne viruses on
such foods as oysters, clams, fresh and frozen berries, and
green onions.
Washing these foods doesn’t remove the virus, and
traditional heating methods, such as pasteurization, destroy
the delicate structure and nutritional value of the foods being
treated.
Non-thermal methods being tested include ultra-violet
rays, ultrasound waves, radiation and high-pressure models.
Part of the research also is to test the effectiveness of the
various methods on different types of foods.
The study, which began in May, is funded by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s National Integrated Food Safety
Initiative and includes researchers from Ohio State and the
University of Delaware.
“The incidence of food-borne viral illnesses is rising,” Li said.
“Despite these facts, there is no effective measure to control
virus outbreaks, thus, the development of food-processing
technologies to inactivate viruses is urgently needed.”

5

Impact Research Magazine

Faculty News

Jiyoung Lee

Lake Erie project selected for federal funding
A College of Public Health research project on Lake Erie
water quality has been funded by a grant from the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Jiyoung Lee, assistant professor in the Division of
Environmental Health Sciences, is the principal investigator
of the project, titled “Innovative rapid identification of Lake
Erie fecal sources,” which will receive $249,511 from EPA.
Lee’s project was one of 28 Ohio projects among the 270
chosen nationwide. The projects represent a $17 million total
investment by the EPA’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
(GLRI), which works to restore and protect the Great Lakes.
Lee and her team of researchers are developing a new
molecular tool to identify and quantify contamination sources
at Lake Erie beaches. Combined with beach-sanitary and waterquality surveys, the new tool will help determine if sources of
contamination originate from waterfowl or humans.

Obesity risk increases with pollution exposure
Exposure to polluted air early in life led to an accumulation
of abdominal fat and insulin resistance in mice even if they ate
a normal diet, according to new research led by Qinghua Sun,
associate professor in the college’s Division of Environmental
Health Sciences.
Animals exposed to the fine-particulate air pollution had
larger and more fat cells in their abdominal area and higher
blood sugar levels than did animals eating the same diet but
breathing clean air.
Sun and his team of researchers exposed the mice to the
polluted air for six hours a day, five days a week for 10 weeks
beginning when the animals were 3 weeks old. This time
frame roughly matches the toddler years to late adolescence
in humans.
The exposure levels for the animals subjected to polluted air
6

Qinghua Sun

resemble the fine-particulate pollution that can be found in
urban areas in the United States.
“This is one of the first, if not the first, study to show that
these fine particulates directly cause inflammation and
changes in fat cells, both of which increase the risk for Type 2
diabetes,” Sun said.
The research appeared in the December 2010 issue of the
journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.

Xiang honored for injury research
Huiyun Xiang, who has a joint appointment as an associate
professor in the Division of Epidemiology and as a researcher
at the Center for Injury Research and Policy at the Research
Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, received two
awards from the Research Institute in January for his
accomplishments as a principal investigator and director of
the center’s international program.
Xiang received the 2010 Outstanding Principal Investigator
and 2010 Outstanding Mentor awards.
“We are incredibly proud of his achievements,” said Gary
Smith, Director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy.

Paskett, Katz present research
at preventive oncology meeting
College of Public Health Professor Electra Paskett led the
American Society of Preventive Oncology’s annual meeting
in Las Vegas in March. Paskett is the president of the society,
which is the primary association for cancer prevention and
control scientists.
This year’s meeting focused on “Cancer Prevention and
Control Across the Lifecourse,” and featured national experts
in cancer presentation, control and survivorship.
Paskett presented “The Promise of a Cancer-Free World.
Where Are We?” during the ASPO Presidential Address

Global Significance. Local Impact.

Electra Paskett

Sarah Anderson

Timothy Buckley

and moderated the panel discussion “A Cancer-Free World:
Collaboration in Science to Get There.”
Paskett also serves as associate director of Population
Sciences at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer
Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard
J. Solove Research Institute, and the Marion N. Rowley
Designated Chair in Cancer Research.
Mira Katz, associate professor in the Division of Health
Behavior and Health Promotion, gave a presentation titled
“Patient activation increases colorectal cancer (CRC) screening
rates among low-income minority patients.”

the brain that govern emotional and stress responses, as well as
control appetite and energy balance, could provide a stronger
influence than previously thought on the likelihood that a
young child will be obese.
“I hope this work can help to broaden our thinking about
the causes of childhood obesity,” Anderson said.
Anderson co-authored the paper with Robert Whitaker,
professor of public health and pediatrics at Temple University.
The research is published in the journal Archives of Pediatrics
& Adolescent Medicine in March 2011.

Parent-toddler relationships
could affect obesity risk

UV light in vacuum cleaner
reduces carpet microbes

Toddlers who do not have a secure emotional relationship
with their parents, and particularly their mothers, could be
at increased risk for obesity by age 4 ½, according to new
research by Sarah Anderson, assistant professor in the Division
of Epidemiology.
The study suggests that children at age 24 months who show
insecure attachment patterns have at least 30 percent higher
odds for obesity by age 4 ½. The association persisted even
after researchers accounted for other family-related factors
that could provide alternative explanations for the obesity.
Psychologists describe securely attached children as those
who rely on their parents as a “safe haven,” which allows
them to explore their environments freely, adapt easily to new
people and be comforted in stressful situations. Toddlers who
are insecurely attached tend to have experienced negative
or unpredictable parenting, and may respond to stress with
extreme anger, fear or anxiety, or avoid or refuse interactions
with others.
The findings suggest that overlapping regulatory areas of

Timothy Buckley, associate professor and chair of the
Division of Environmental Health Sciences, is the senior
author of a study that suggests the addition of ultraviolet light
to the brushing and suction of a vacuum cleaner can almost
double the removal of potentially infectious microorganisms
from a carpet’s surface when compared to vacuuming alone.
“What this tells us is there is a commercial vacuum with UV
technology that’s effective at reducing surface microbes. This
has promise for public health, but we need more data,” Buckley
said. “Carpets are notorious as a source for exposure to a lot
of bad stuff, including chemicals, allergens and microbes.
We need tools that are effective and practical to reduce the
associated public health risk. This vacuum technology appears
to be a step in the right direction.”
The research appeared online in the journal Environmental
Science & Technology in November 2010.
Co-authors include Eric Lutz, Smita Sharma and Bruce
Casto of the Division of Environmental Health Sciences and
Glen Needham of Ohio State’s Department of Entomology.
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Impact Research Magazine

Faculty News

Mira Katz

Breast cancer screening is focus of Amish study
Breast cancer incidence rates among Amish women are
lower than the general population of women living in Ohio,
however, the Amish have higher rates of advanced stage at
diagnosis for breast cancer and screening rates are lower
among these women.
Mira Katz, associate professor in the College of Public
Health’s Division of Health Behavior and Health Promotion, is
working to reverse the trend. She recently received a $13,275
grant from the Columbus affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the
Cure to lead the second year of a community research project
that aims to improve breast cancer knowledge and screening
rates among Amish women living in two Ohio Appalachian
counties.
“The Black Bonnet Project” will reach more than 100
Amish women living in Gallia and Jackson counties. The
project focuses on three factors to improve breast health. First,
breast health educational sessions will be conducted among
women belonging to four church districts in the region.
Second, transportation will be provided for women, ages 18
and older, to receive a clinical breast examination by a trained
nurse at the Gallia County health department. Third, mobile
mammography services will be provided for women ages 40
and older during a visit to the Amish community.
“This project is an example of community-based participatory
research,” Katz said. “The Amish community asked us for help
to address the problem of Amish women dying from breast
cancer in their community.
“We worked together to develop and implement a culturallyappropriate educational program to increase access to breast
health services, providing Amish women with a greater chance
of survival.”
The outreach project is a team effort among The Ohio State
University College of Public Health, Appalachia Community
8

Cancer Network, Partners of Hope Cancer Coalition, Gallia
County Health Department, and the Amish women living in
Gallia and Jackson counties.

CPH, Nanjing University
partner on health care project
Allard Dembe, associate professor and chair of the College
of Public Health’s Division of Health Services Management
and Policy, traveled to Nanjing University in China in May to
meet with faculty and students, and local hospital executives
and government officials to discuss healthcare management
and research opportunities in China.
Dembe was hosted by Professor Gu Hai, head of Nanjing’s
Center of Health Management and Policy, which is part of
the Department of Labor and Social Security in the Nanjing
University School of Government.
“We discussed a variety of collaborative opportunities,
including student and faculty exchanges, joint research studies,
video teleconference classes, and consultation services for
Chinese officials,” Dembe said. “These discussions resulted in
the signing of a bilateral cooperation agreement.”
The agreement potentially includes a multiyear research
collaboration between Nanjing University and Ohio State’s
College of Public Health to develop a plan for integrated health
care systems in China, modeled on systems used in the U.S.
Demonstration pilots will initially be set up in Jiangsu Province
and later extended to other provinces.
The project will be directed by Professor Gu and include
participation from Dembe and doctoral students from both
Ohio State and Nanging University’s health services policy and
management programs.
Also while in China, Dembe presented a lecture titled
“Health Care and Public Health in the United States: Potential
Implications for China” on May 5 to about 50 people at the
university.

Global Significance. Local Impact.

Student News

Thousands of Ohio State students demonsrate their Ohio State spirit by jumping into Mirror Lake.

Jumping into Mirror Lake?
Try to be the first, say public health researchers
Vanessa Burrowes, an undergraduate majoring in Biology,
has tested the water in Mirror Lake during the traditional
jump preceding the Ohio State and Michigan football game.
She knows she can’t keep students from jumping into
Mirror Lake, but she recommends a strategy.
“I realize I won’t be able to prevent every student from
participating in this event, but I would recommend that if
they are going to, they jump early on in the night, before all
of the sediments re-suspend the bacteria that pose a humanhealth risk,” Burrowes said.
Burrowes worked on the research with Jiyoung Lee,
assistant professor in the College of Public Health’s Division
of Environmental Health Sciences (EHS). They, along with
several EHS doctoral students, presented results of this and
other water studies at the 111th General Meeting of the
American Society for Microbiology in May.
Presenters included Burrowes, Professor Lee, postdoctoral
students Cheonghoon Lee and Chang Soo Lee, and doctoral
students Jason Marion, Jonathan Lutz and Senyo Agidi.
Burrowes also presented the research at the Ohio State
Denman Undergraduate Research Forum in May.
The tradition, which dates back to 1990, occurs on an
evening preceding the annual Ohio State and Michigan
football matchup. Thousands of students demonstrate their
Ohio State spirit by jumping into the small lake, despite the
often frigid November temperatures.
Burrowes took samples of the water before, during and
after the 2010 jump. Chang Soo Lee and Marion also worked
on the project.
The researchers tested the water for increased levels of
bacteria and fecal matter. Levels peaked when the lake
contained the most people. Results showed that what fecal

matter and bacteria previously existed in the lake as sediment
became agitated when people moved about in the water,
making it more of a health threat.
Burrowes also found that the people jumping into the lake
on the evening that she tested the water added little more to
the amount of fecal matter that had already existed.

MPH student creates ‘opportunity maps’
to restore housing in hurricane-damaged area
Thanks to the work of one Master of Public Health student,
a hurricane-ravaged area in Texas is now prime real estate for
low-income families.
Avrita Singh, an MPH student specializing in Health
Behavior and Health Promotion, created geographic maps as
part of her culminating project that will be used to identify
locations for new public housing in Galveston County, Texas,
where the majority of public housing stock was damaged by
Hurricane Ike in 2008.
Singh worked with Ohio State’s Kirwan Institute for the
Study of Race and Ethnicity to conduct a community
assessment of Galveston County, using geographic
information system software to illustrate the distribution of
social and material resources in the area.
Singh found that African Americans and Hispanics in the
county were more likely to reside in low-opportunity areas,
where current public housing was highly concentrated and
flood vulnerability was high. Better areas for public housing
existed near metropolitan areas and major roadways, where
availability of and access to resources much higher.
Singh created “opportunity maps” to advocate for the
placement of public housing in more desirable areas.
Her recommendations, which will help disperse poverty,
desegregate communities and improve overall community
health, will be sent to the Galveston Housing Authority to assist
with the rebuilding of the damaged public housing stock.
9

Impact Research Magazine

Student News
“What attracted me to this nontraditional, community
assessment project was the opportunity to collect and
analyze social determinants of health and use them to create
opportunity maps,” Singh said. “The maps serve as a helpful
framework to identify where disparities in social resources
are located and help provide evidence for policy reform as
well as public health interventions.”
Singh’s academic advisor is Clinical Associate Professor
Randi Love.

Marion earns top prize in poster competition
Jason Marion, PhD student in the Division of Environmental
Health Sciences, won first place in a poster competition at
the Water Management Association of Ohio’s conference in
November 2010 in Columbus.
Marion’s poster, titled “Wet Weather and Total Phosphorus:
Practical Predictors of Advisory Conditions at Inland Ohio
Beaches,” also won Marion praises from the judges.
“The future of Ohio’s water resources lies in the imagination
and hard work of persons like you,” said Alex Covert,
conference chair and biologist at the USGS-Ohio Water
Science Center in Columbus.

Cancer prevention research earns honors
Blake Warner, a doctoral student in the College of Public
Health and the College of Dentistry, was the winner of the
“Best Basic Science Research Presentation” at the Hinman
Student Research Symposium, held in Memphis, Tenn., in
October 2010.
The symposium was sponsored by the Hinman Dental
Society.
Warner, who received a Master of Public Health in 2007,
presented research that he conducted with Christopher
Weghorst, professor in the Division of Environmental Health
Sciences.
Warner’s presentation, “LBR negativity modulated BIRC5/
Survivin in human oral cancers,” builds upon previous
research that suggests the consumption of diets rich in fruits
and vegetables may reduce the risk of developing cancer of
the head and neck.
“This data adds to the body of evidence that whole foods,
such as black raspberries, may be able to modify the risk of
developing cancer,” Warner said.
Warner also was awarded the American Association
for Dental Research Student Research Fellowship for his
proposal titled “Extracts of strawberries and strawberries bioincorporated with selenium inhibit experimental oral cancer”
10

PhD student Jason Marion, who won the top prize in a poster
competition, shares his passion for water management.

at the International Association for Dental Research Annual
Scientific Meeting in San Diego in March.
“Each proposal was competitively evaluated on its scientific
merits in a manner similar to those used for NIH grants,”
Warner said. “Awards were made on the basis of creativity of
the project, its feasibility, and the potential significance to oral
health research.”
Each fellowship consists of a stipend, money for supplies,
and funds for travel. Upon completion of his research, Warner
will present the results of the experiments at the AADR
Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa, Fla., in 2012.

HBHP doctoral student joins
Boonshoft School of Medicine
Michele Battle-Fisher, a doctoral student in the Division
of Health Behavior and Health Promotion, was appointed as
an instructor and assistant program director of the Master of
Public Health Program at Boonshoft School of Medicine at
Wright State University in Dayton in January 2010.
Battle-Fisher, who previously received a Master of Public
Health degree and a Master of Arts in African Studies from
Ohio State, also had a peer-reviewed article published in the
December 2010 issue of the OJHE Online Journal of Health
Ethics.
The article explores how social networks might affect
living organ donation decisions and was a result of research
she conducted as a visiting scholar at the Hastings Center,
Garrison, N.Y.

Undergrad student presents pollution research
Kevin Tzan, an undergraduate public health research
assistant presented a poster at the National Environmental
Health Association’s 2011 Annual Education Conference and

Two EHS students accept overseas internships

MPH student Stephani Kim, right, in Ghana

Exhibition in June in Columbus.
Tzan works with Qinghua Sun, associate professor in the
Division of Environmental Health Sciences. He will present
his abstract entitled “Effects of Particulate Air Pollution
during Beijing Olympic Games in a Mouse Model.”
Tzan also presented the research at the 50th Annual Meeting
of the Society of Toxicology, in Washington, D.C., in March.

HSMP student receives scholarship
to attend rural health conference
Naomi Adaniya, a PhD student in the Division of Health
Services Management and Policy, won a $1,000 scholarship
to attend the National Rural Health Association’s 34th annual
conference in Austin, Texas, in May.
“It’s the premier rural health conference in the country,”
Adaniya said.
The association also publishes the Journal of Rural Health.
In 2008, Adaniya also was the recipient of the Center for
Health Outcomes, Policy and Evaluation Studies’ Doctoral
Studies Traineeship Award.

Two Master of Public Health students specializing in
Environmental Health Sciences (EHS) have accepted threemonth overseas internships.
Paul Kerr III received an offer from a division of the West
Pacific Regional Office of the World Health Organization,
to work on his project titled “Strengthening Control of
Vectorborne Diseases to Lessen the Impact of Climate Change
in the Western Pacific Region.”
Kerr will assist in analyzing data and help manage a project
about the control of malaria and other parasitic diseases in
Manila, Philippines.
Christina Kim received an offer from the Tropical Disease
Research Laboratory in Khon Kaen University, Thailand, to
work on a project titled “Environmental Determinants and
Epidemiology of Opisthorchis Viverrini (liver fluke) in Thon
(Khon) Kaen,” led by Professor Banchob Scripa.
Both students’ academic advisor is Song Liang, assistant
professor in EHS.

Global Significance. Local Impact.

is a medical doctor pursing her MPH in Health Behavior and
Health Promotion.

Honorable mention for students
in annual Case Competition
Master of Health Administration students Chris Baranek,
Laura Block and Amelia Brown traveled to Birmingham, Ala.,
in February to compete in the Health Administration Case
Competition and earned an honorable mention.
The competition allows students an opportunity to put what
they’ve learned into practice by using a real case study. This
year’s case involved improving collaborative care at Memorial
Hermann Health System in Houston.
“Our team had a solid presentation and I’m proud of their
accomplishments,” said Paula Song, assistant professor in the
Division of Health Services Management and Policy. Song
mentored the students and traveled with them to Alabama.

CPH students join OSU Ghana trip
Three public health graduate students traveled to Ghana in
March as part of Ohio State’s Study Abroad Program.
Stephani Kim, Jessica Blank and Patrice Scipio, all pursing
Master of Public Health degrees, were among 18 students
selected by the university’s City and Regional Planning
Department to learn about public health and development
issues in the Offinso North District of Ghana.
The over-populated community has limited access to clean
drinking water, poor sanitation, and inadequate health care
and education facilities.
Kim is specializing in Environmental Health Sciences. Blank
is pursing a dual degree in Public Health and Nursing. Scipio

From left, MHA students Chris Baranek, Laura Block & Amelia Brown
11

Impact Research Magazine

Dean Stanley Lemeshow, left, with the 2010 Champions of Public Health award winners.

College celebrates Champions of Public Health
The Champions of Public Health Awards recognize the
impact that individuals and groups have made on the health
of Ohioans.
The 2010 award winners were Neil H. Altman, health
commissioner of the Youngstown City Health District, in the
Public Health Practitioner category; Cathy Levine, executive
director of the Universal Health Care Action Network of
Ohio, in the Community Leader category; and the Healthy
Tusc Taskforce, in the Organization category.
Below is more information about the 2010 winners.
Neil H. Altman served as the health commissioner of the
Youngstown City Health District since 1980. He retired in
May 2011. During his tenure he led dozens of committees to
address the public health needs of his community, including
such issues as child welfare, homelessness, AIDS prevention
and the importance of immunization.
“It’s difficult to be a health commissioner anywhere, but to
do the job and do it well in an area that’s been hit hard, even
before the recession, is indeed a difficult task,” said nominator
Lana Cherrington of the Ross County Health District.
Altman received a Master of Public Health from the
University of North Carolina in 1977, and a Bachelor of Arts
from Temple University in 1972.
Cathy Levine is the executive director of the Universal
Health Care Action Network of Ohio. The statewide
organization advocates for high quality and affordable health
care for all Ohioans through education, coalition building,
grassroots efforts and policy advocacy.
“Working in an arena packed with some of the most
powerful players in the political process, Cathy Levine is
a longtime advocate for the consumer,” said nominator
12

Susan Ackerman of the Center for Community Solutions in
Columbus. “She has worked for years to make high-quality,
accessible and affordable health care available for everyone.”
Levine has a Juris Doctorate from New England School of
Law, a Master’s in Feminist Studies from Goddard College
and a Bachelor of Art in Politics from New York University.
The Healthy Tusc Taskforce was formed in 2009 by a group
of concerned health and wellness providers to respond to the
increasing prevalence of obesity in Tuscarawas County.
Ohio ranks fourth in the nation for the number of
overweight high school students. The adult obesity rate in
Ohio is 26.3 percent, and in Tuscarawas County the rate is
32.4, according to Barbara Burns, chairman of Healthy Tusc
and director of the WIC program at the Tuscarawas County
Health Department.
“We want our residents, especially our children, to learn to
make healthy choices,” said Burns. “But that’s only one step.
In order to make healthy choices, there first must be healthy
choices available in our communities.”
The taskforce’s objectives are to increase opportunities for
physical activity; to increase access to healthy and nutritious
food options, while limiting access to unhealthy food options;
and to influence policy that impacts obesity.
The taskforce is a broad-based coalition with many partners,
including the Tuscarawas County Health Department, Union
Hospital, Twin City Hospital, Tuscarawas Department of Job
and Family Services, Ohio State University Extension, Kent
State Tuscarawas Campus, East Central Ohio Educational
Service Center, Tuscarawas Chamber of Commerce, United
Way, Tuscarawas County Commissioner’s Office, YMCA and
ADAMHS.

October 14, 2011

Cunz Hall Dedication and Champions of Public Health
The College of Public Health will hold its annual Champions of Public Health awards at a special location, the
newly renovated Cunz Hall. The gala will celebrate the first time the entire college has been under one roof.
We hope you will join us for the 2011 Champions of Public Health, ribbon-cutting, and building tours. This event is
sponsored by Ruscilli Construction Company and Jonathan Barnes Architecture & Design.

Global Significance. Local Impact.

Save the Date!

For more information, contact Christine Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Malley: comalley@cph.osu.edu.
To be added to our e-mail list, go to www.cph.osu.edu/2011Gala.
To view the latest photos of the Cunz Hall project, visit our Flickr site at http://go.osu.edu/CPHpix

13

COLLEGE OF

PUBLIC HEALTH
College of Public Health
The Ohio State University
M116 Starling-Loving Hall
320 W. 10th Ave.
Columbus OH 43210

Mira Katz, associate professor in the College of Public Health’s Division of Health Behavior and Health Promotion, contributed a piece of her glass artwork to
the Cunz Hall renovation project. Her piece, titled “Faces of Public Health,” represents human diversity and will hang on a wall in the renovated building when
it opens in fall 2011. Cunz Hall is the university’s first LEED-certified renovation project. Follow our Cunz Hall blog at http://cph.osu.edu/cunzblog/.